The High Point
by Sareki02
Summary: P/T, missing scene from Year of Hell. How do you maintain a relationship when your ship is under constant attack? Rated teens and up for innuendo.


**Author's Note: **Many thanks to my hetero life beta Izzy for all her editing! Also thanks to my husband for patiently listening to this and to to Photogirl1890 for catching typos. This story was originally published on AO3 on June 8, 2014.

**The High Point**

**Between Day 65 and Day 70**

_Captain's log, Stardate 51268.4. This morning's attack destroyed the power grid on deck eleven. No casualties this time but the replicator system was badly damaged. We've gone to emergency rations. As a result, the situation has gotten a little worse. Environmental controls continue to fail. Seven decks have been rendered uninhabitable and we've had to relocate the crew. Quarters are close, nerves are frayed, and I'm not sure what's more difficult to maintain - Voyager's systems or the crew's morale. What's important is that we're together working toward a single goal. Survival._

"B'Elanna."

B'Elanna Torres, Chief Engineer of what was left of the Federation Starship Voyager, nearly slammed her head into a plasma conduit at the sound of her name. She had been in this Jefferies tube for hours, trying to get the power grid at least partially back online. Pulling her upper body out of the access port, she saw Tom crawling down the tube toward her.

"What do you want?" her tone sounded harsh, even to her, but in the two days since the grid had been destroyed she had had only rations to eat and little sleep.

Tom crawled up next to her, unstrapping the bag that was slung across his back. "Well, we got off duty - if such a thing exists anymore - about an hour ago, so I thought I would come find you and bring you some food."

B'Elanna slumped against the bulkhead, "Food or ration bars?"

Tom looked into his pack, "Ration bars, sorry to get your hopes up." He pulled out a blanket, one of the emergency kind found in the standard survival kits, and spread it awkwardly out in the tube. "I thought we could have a picnic. Just you, me, ration bars, some water, and the Jeffries tube."

She smiled at him as he arranged their 'dinner' on the blanket, "How romantic."

"I try," he paused as she crawled over to sit on the blanket. "So, how are things going with the power system?"

"Let's just say I think this is what we will be eating for awhile." She got herself settled and Tom handed her a bar and a bottle of water. "What have you been up to today?"

"Oh, the usual. A few hours in the sick hall-"

"'Sick hall?'" B'Elanna interrupted.

"Yeah, that is what Harry has decided to call our combo mess hall and sickbay."

"Oh, cute," B'Elanna said dryly.

"I thought so. Anyway, then I was on working with an engineering team on the transverse bulkheads."

She leaned against the side of the tube, watching him take a bite of his bar, "I feel like we haven't seen each other in days."

"We haven't. Did you get moved to the women's dorm?"

She sighed, "Yes. Right now I am sleeping beneath Nicoletti and every times she moves the whole bed shakes. And she tosses and turns at night, I swear I can't get more than an hour of sleep at a time." Taking another bite she continued, "At least I replicated ear plugs before the power grid went offline, or I don't think I would be getting even that much."

"I'm usually so tired that by the time I lay down I am out cold. Although I do have the upper bunk…"

Popping the last of her 'dinner' in her mouth, she took a long drink from the water bottle. "Lucky you. With the amount of time I'm spending in these tubes I should just drag my blanket and pillow in here… it might be more comfortable."

Tom smiled and leaned in to kiss her, "I might just join you, after all, I'm not allowed in the women's dorm."

The way he kissed her, B'Elanna knew what he wanted. "Tom, we don't have time for this… and you stink."

"You stink too, Torres," he kissed down the side of her neck. "And given the fact that we haven't had time for this for, oh, several weeks, I'd say it's not going to take very long." He pushed her jacket off and reached around her back to begin on her turtleneck.

"You sure do know how to romance a girl…" Tom pulled her turtleneck off, leaving her with just the tank top. He kissed along her shoulders and reached down her shirt. She grabbed his wandering hand, "Tom, what if someone catches us?"

He paused and pulled back, "Who cares at this point? We really can't be any more discrete than this, our quarters are both uninhabitable. And hell, when I do get to take a shower, I have to share it with five other guys! So it's not like you are the only person who has seen me naked on this ship…"

"I know but-"

"But nothing! I have to sleep in a room with a bunch of other guys, I have to eat ration bars, I don't get to shower, I live in constant fear that this will be my last day alive, and I never get to spend any time with you. Making love to you in a Jefferies tube is going to be the high point of my day, hell, probably the high point of my entire month, so if the captain wants to yell at us for being 'adolescent' or 'not using good judgement' she can shove it."

B'Elanna looked at him and realized this wasn't just about sex. This was about comfort and being in control of what was left of their lives. And making the best of a situation that never seemed like it was going to get any better.

She looked up and down the tube, "Alright, take off your clothes."

He smiled, "Yes ma'am."

She pulled her clothes off as well and, as he had promised, it was not long until they lay spent in each others arms.

"You were right," B'Elanna whispered into Tom's ear.

"Oh?" he said.

"This is definitely the high point of my day."

Tom smiled and kissed her forehead, "Glad I could be of service."

After a few more moments, B'Elanna sighed, "We should really get dressed…"

"Just a minute longer," he said, trying to bring himself into as much contact with her as possible.

Lying quietly, he ran his fingers through her dirty and tangled hair. She smiled at him, "Now I really wish it was my day to take a shower."

"We'll try to coordinate better next time."

"Alright, enough lying around in the Jefferies tubes naked," she pulled away from him, but he grabbed her again.

"I miss you," his voice was full of emotion and longing.

"I miss you too. But I want to get my clothes back on because it is cold and I would really prefer to keep the number of people who have seen me naked on this ship to a minimum," she reached for her uniform and began to dress.

He did the same, before packing the remnants of their 'dinner' back into his bag. B'Elanna had moved back over to the access hatch she had been lying in earlier. "What do you need to finish before you call it a day?" he asked.

From inside the hatch she spoke, "I don't know. I guess at some point I will just drop from exhaustion and then I'll call it a day."

"Do you need some help?"

"Not really, but go and see if you can find a few pillows and blankets."

He laughed, "How will that help bring the power grid back online?"

"It won't," she pulled herself out of the hatch to look at him. "But I am exhausted and sleeping under 'tosses all night Nicoletti' is going to be less restful than sleeping here in the tube with you."

"But what if someone catches us?" he smiled as he threw her own words back at her. She returned the smile.

"I don't care. Sleeping next to you will be the second best thing that has happened all day and the captain can shove it if that's a problem."

He grabbed his bag and kissed her, "She can indeed. I'll be back soon." He looked at her and realized that in the time it was going to take him to get back, the Krenim could attack again. This could be the last time he ever saw her. Putting the bag back down he reached for her, holding her close as possible. "I love you," he whispered into her ear.

"I love you too," she replied.

After a moment he broke the embrace and grabbed his bag again. B'Elanna slid back into the hatch and he crawled away the way he had come.

_Fin_


End file.
